Can Oilers Bounce Blackhawks Without McDavid?

A five-game winning streak vaulted the Chicago Blackhawks into the Western Conference playoff discussion – but their recent play has taken them right back out again as they visit the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday night. The Blackhawks have dropped four of their past five games but will catch a major break with Connor McDavid out of the Edmonton lineup.

Sportsbook Odds Analysis

The Oilers kicked this one off as -130 favorites, and have remained in that neighborhood at most sportsbooks. The total has held steady at 6.

Chicago News & Notes

The next two weeks could very well decide if the Blackhawks are a legitimate playoff contender, or are headed for a third straight year outside the postseason picture. Chicago will play eight of its next 10 games outside the Windy City, including its current five-game road trip that kicked off with a humbling 5-2 loss to the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday.

And if Chicago has any hope of leapfrogging the six teams ahead of it in the race for the second West wild-card spot, it will need to improve its woeful power play. The Blackhawks rank an unfathomable 28th in the NHL in power-play efficiency at 15 percent, and surrendered their eighth short-handed goal against in Sunday’s setback in Winnipeg.

Edmonton News & Notes

Oilers fans and bettors are bracing themselves for a stretch of games with McDavid on the sidelines. He crashed hard into the end boards in Saturday’s 3-2 triumph over the Nashville Predators and on Tuesday it was announced he would miss two to three weeks with a quad injury.

McDavid’s absence will put a great deal of pressure on the Edmonton offense, which has scored just six goals in three games since putting up an eight-spot against rival Calgary on February 1. The Oilers have a major advantage on special teams, coming into this one with the No. 1 man-advantage unit in the league at a whopping 28.8 percent.

Betting Pick: UNDER

Neither offense is really rolling right now, and without McDavid, the Oilers will likely be out of sorts on offense. We like this one to go UNDER the total.